Bettison had previously held positions with Great Southern Rail, and within the Australian Labor Party.

[2] Bettison is linked with the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA).

[4] The 2012 Ramsay by-election was held after the resignation of Labor incumbent and former Premier Mike Rann.

Between 2014 and the 2018 state election Bettison has also served as the minister with responsibility for a range of portfolios, including communities and social inclusion, social housing, the status of women, ageing, multicultural affairs, youth, volunteers.

This was partly prompted by the activities of a group of neo-Nazis who had posted photographs of themselves giving fascist salutes outside the Adelaide Holocaust Museum, and concerns had been raised about the activities of groups such as the National Socialist Network in South Australia.